Uni job cuts a health and safety crisis, union says

Planned job cuts at Cardiff University have led to a "total health and safety crisis" with staff feeling their wellbeing has been inadequately considered, a union says.

Cardiff UCU has reported Cardiff University's University Executive Board (UEB) to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following a "comprehensive breakdown of trust and morale" between university bosses and staff.

The university initially announced that 400 jobs were at risk and some courses were to be axed in the cost-saving measures, but later reduced this and pledged there would be no compulsory redundancies this year.

The university said it was working to increase on offer to staff .

On Monday, the university issued an update which stated 151 staff had voluntarily resigned, meaning 69 full-time equivalent job losses would now be needed for it to meet its target.

The union said university management had failed to respond to concerns its had raised, beyond offering "mainly cosmetic" remedies.

In the HSE referral submitted on 5 June, the union described the situation as a "total health and safety crisis".

It said some had reported suffering from mental health concerns, including suicidal thoughts, struggling in their caring duties or worrying about their pregnancy due to anxiety.

It said the Academic Futures process, to be considered by the University Council on 17 June, was "an unfolding and comprehensive disaster for staff health, university workload, day to day operations, and academic community".

In March, a union questionnaire - which was sent to more than 1,500 across the university and received 197 responses - highlighted cuts had "negatively affected" the health and wellbeing of staff, it said.

Experiences reported by union included anxiety and depression, not sleeping or eating properly, nausea, panic attacks, weight loss, stomach problems, lack of clear thinking and concentration, exhaustion, increased heart rate and blood pressure, struggling with caring duties, drinking, taking medication, taking sick leave, and feeling suicidal.

One respondent wrote: "I considered having an abortion as a result of the panic".

One staff member said they had "felt suicidal more than once over the last few weeks", while another described the on offer from the university as "woeful".

The latest update on cuts does not prevent compulsory redundancies beyond 2025, and the UCU has called on the university to go a step further and bring the remaining staff out of the "scope for redundancy" category.

It added it wanted to see bosses write an all-staff communication "acknowledging the crisis and taking full responsibility for the consequences of choices made during the cuts process", as well as "addressing staff mental health as a matter of urgency and invest considerably more resources in mental health and wellbeing ".

It said it acknowledged the university's wellbeing team was "overstretched", but added it had not seen any signs this issue would "be addressed in a concrete way".

"Given what we have found about the impacts of Academic Futures on staff health, we are very concerned that over 400 people are still in scope for redundancy.

"Management's current plan, up for consideration by the University Council next week, allows for them to be left at risk for years to come," the union said.

"This is a recipe for disaster that could mean the nightmarish findings of our survey may become the new normal.

"Quite frankly, this could be a matter of life and death."

Cardiff University said the institution understood the impact the last few months had had on colleagues, adding it faced "significant challenges to our sustainability" which had "necessitated some very difficult decisions".

It said the questionnaire results "make for difficult reading", adding: "Following further meetings with UCU, a draft action plan has been developed at pace, in collaboration with our trade unions.

"We are listening and are committed to working in partnership with the trade unions on actions to address specific points, to improve wellbeing for all of our community and to ensure we continue to provide timely communication."

It said the university was "surprised" by the referral but would "provide any information required by the HSE".

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.